The-Artistic-Garden's Blog

Are Plastic Pots OK To Use Instead of Clay Pots
For A Pot Person Project?

Stan emailed me and asked:

You have a great website! Just a question about making a pot man. Do you recommend using the plastic pots at all, or just strictly the clay? Thanks for the help. Stan

My reply:
Hello Stan:
Think about this … plastic pots do not weigh very much, even collectively, and if a strong enough gust of wind comes along, your plastic pot person may just go flying across your yard! That is unless you secure it down somehow.

Personally, I would only use clay (also referred to as terra cotta). I think clay pots are just a nicer look for a pot person project. And over time, clay / terra cotta will age nicely, and maybe, if you’ve placed your pot person in a shady spot, it will start getting a little moss growing on it, again adding to the overall charm of it.

For instructions and recipes about how to get moss to grow on garden items, please take a look at my article: how to grow moss on garden planters.

Also, I personally think that plants growing from terra cotta just look a bit more “natural”, versus plants growing in a green or black plastic pot, don’t you think?

But, maybe you are planning to paint all the surfaces, or dress up your “person” with a hat or clothes, which in that case yes plastic would be OK … but again you have to deal with the lightweight-ness of plastic.

So … the bottom line is this project is doable, but I strongly advise securing it to whatever or wherever you are placing it. Good luck!

For a set of instructions to make a clay pot person, please refer to my pot person instructions how-to project article.